Typically, a wireless device communicates with a home wireless network that is associated with the wireless device. For example, the owner of the wireless device may be a customer of a specific home wireless network operator that operates the home wireless network. However, in some circumstances, such as the wireless device being outside the coverage area of the home wireless network, the wireless device may not be able to communicate with the home wireless network. During these circumstances, the wireless device may be able to communicate with visited wireless networks, which are not operated by the home wireless network operator, by roaming onto those networks.
In order to roam on a visited wireless network, the wireless device may be provided with a preferred roaming list (PRL). The PRL provides information that the wireless device uses to connect with access nodes of the visited wireless networks. The information may include communication frequencies, such as pilot frequencies, for the access nodes on the visited wireless networks and any other information that the wireless device needs to find, register, and exchange communications with an access node on a visited wireless network.
Although, while the PRL provides the wireless device with the capability of exchanging communications over a visited wireless network, the operator of the visited wireless network may charge the home wireless network operator for the wireless device doing so. Moreover, the visited network operator may charge different fees for visited network resource usage depending on the type of visited wireless network on which the wireless device is roaming.